Window-cleaning device



Apr. 1o, 1923. 1,451,221

C. O. HOFFMAN WINDOW CLEANING DEVICE Filed Dec. 1 1921 umm MFI

nuewtoz /l 2213 Y f5-taff Clttomam Patented Apr. 10, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE O. HOFFMAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF V',lOLOUIS SCHULMAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN. Y n

WINDOW-CLEANING DEVICE.

Application led December 1, 1921. Serial No. 519,061.

To all rwhom t may concern.' I

Be it known that I, CLARENCE O. HOFF- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and Stateof Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inlVindow-Cleaning Devices, of which the following is a specification,reference being had the-rein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a window cleaning device and has specialreference to the windows of streetgcars, locomotive cabs, automobilebodies, and any window which is exposed to the elements and liable to bebefogged or rendered non-transparent by the accumulation of snow, sleet,water or other matter.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a window sash with arotary transparent pane or plate, a stationary wiper member inengagement with the pane of glass, and suitable connections with asource of power for rotating the rotary pane or plate, so that the wipermember will remove matter from the outer face of the pane or plate or atleast clear a space for uninterrupted vision.

Another object of my invention is to furnish a window sash with glasscleaning means thatK may be operated, at will, by a person adjacent thewindow sash.` and when such window sash forms part of a vehicle thesource of power utilized to drive the vehicle may also be used foroperating the r window cleaning device.

A further object of my invention is to provide a window sashconstruction that may be advantageously used in connection with streetcars, particularly the end windows thereof, the sash constructionincluding a pane wiping device which obviates the necessity of amotorman repeatedly wiping off a pane of glass in order to see throughthe same, as now practiced when the motormans visibility is interferedwith by rain and snow.

The above are a few of the objects which mav be attained by aconstruction which will be hereinafter described and then claimed, andreference will now be had to the drawing, wherein Figure 1 is adiagrammatic cross-sectional view of a street car showing the motormansWindow in accordance with my invention;

't Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the windowconstruction;

.F ig. 3 1s a view of the inner side of a window illustrating r'aslight'modification of my invention, and

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional tion of the same.

A s showing one type of vehicle to which my invention may be applied,the reference numeral 1 denotes a street a window frame 2 above a hollowen d wall 3 in which may be housed a sash 4 slidably mounted in thewindow frame 2. The sash 4'is in the form of an opaque panel providedwith a circular opening 5 and rotatable 1n said opening is a transparentdisk or circular pane or plate of glass 6 which is retained within theopening 5 by circular rings 7 on the inner and outer sides of the panel4 about the opening 5. The pane of glass 6 cannot become accidentallydisplaced and the lower edge of said pane of glass may be supported onflanged anti-frictional rollers 8 set in cut away portions 9 of a panel4, these rollers supporting the pane of glass so that it may be easilyrevolved between the rings 7 and in the opening of the ypanel 4. Thepanel is adapted to be heldin a raised position in the frame 2 by acatch 10 or any other suitable sash holding device. By releasing Ithecatch 10 the panel and its pane of glass may be lowered into the hollowwall 3, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Centrally or axially of the pane of glass 6 is a socket 11 in which isdetachably mounted the end of a flexible shaft 12, said shaft extendingdownwardly through the view of a porlfloor 13 of the street carso thatits lower end may be driven from an axle 14 of the street car or anysuitable source of power. The power transmission mechanism by which theaxle 14 may operate the shaft 12 includes a gear wheel 15 on thel axle14 meshing with a gear wheel r16 4on a shaft 17, journaled in hangers18, carried by the floor 13 of the car. Slidably keyed on the shaft 17and adapted to -rotate therewith is a clutch member 19 that may beshiftedv into engagement with a clutch member 20 loose on the shaft 17but to which the end of the shaft 12 is connected, so that the shaft 12may be driven from the shaft 17 when the clutch members are inengagement with car body having each other. Any suitable means may beemployed for shifting the clutch member 19, preferably ambell crank 21and a treadle 22, said treadle being located adjacent the controller 26of the street `car to permit of the motormanv controlling the operationof the shaft 12 by foot pressure.

Att-ached to the front side of the panel 4, at thelower edge thereof,isan upstanding stationary wiper member 23 frictionally engaging the frontor outer face of the pane of glass 6, said wiper member extending inproximity to the socket 12 and having a radial relation thereto. lVhenthe pane of glass G is rotated in its panel the outer or front face ofthe pane of glass will be wiped olf by the wiper member 23 and it maybeonly necessary torevolve the pla-ne of glass for a few seconds when itWill be cleanedk sufficiently to `permit of the motorman or operator ofthe car making .observations though the glass. It will not be necessary-for the motorman to leave the `car to clean the outer face of thewindow pane, nor even remove hisl hands from the usual Vcontrollingdevices of the street car.. it being only necessary to depress thetreadle 22 when the pane of glass is to be revolved and cleaned. l/Vhenthe pane of glass is to be lowered by letting down the panel 4 into thehollow Wall 3, the upper end of the shaft 12 may be removed from thesocket 11.

Insteadv of driving the pane of glass 6 by a connection atvitsfmiddleportioml may dispense with the socket 11 anduse a shaft driven frictionwheel 24. This friction wheel may be placed in a gap kor opening 25 ofthe panel 4 to engage the lower edge of the pane of glass, as shown inyFi 3, and with the pane of glass resting on this driven friction wheeland the rollers 8, said pane of glass can be easily revolved with thewiper member 23 against the front or outer face of the glass.

lVhile in the drawings there are illustrated the referred embodiments ofmy invention, it 1s to be understood that the structural elements aresusceptible to such chauves, in size, shape and manner of assembTappended claim.

. What I claim is The combination of a `Window frame, a

@movable sash therein *adapted to be raised and lowered relative to saidWindow frame, a pane` of glass rotatably mounted in said sash, a wipermember carried by said sash and engaging said rotary pane of glass,.anda driven flexible shaft adapted to have an end thereof inserted in saidrotary pane of glass when said sash is in a raised position for rotatingsaid pane of glass.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE O. HOFFMAN. Witnesses:

KARL H. BUTLER,

ANNA M. Donn.

age as fall Within the scope of the-

